Container adapter

ABSTRACT

A container adapter includes a soft sleeve having a first and a second anti-slide sleeve portion; a rigid connecting pipe having a coupling portion, a stop portion and a plurality of slots. The first anti-slide sleeve portion is forward tapered, and the coupling portion is backward flared. The rigid connecting pipe is connected at the coupling portion to the first anti-slide sleeve portion of the soft sleeve with the stop portion abutted on a rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion. To use the container adapter, simply fit the second anti-slide sleeve portion of the soft sleeve around an end of a container. Decorative accessories can be set in the slots to form ornaments, or pipes can be connected to the container adapter to form a fluid passage for guiding a liquid in the container, such that the container can have more applications and be advantageous to environmental protection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a container adapter, and more particularly, to a container adapter to which decorative accessories can be assembled to form ornaments or different pipes can be connected for guiding a liquid through, such that a container using the container adapter provides more applications and is advantageous for environmental protection.

2. Description of the Related Art

General containers, such as plastic bottles for storing or holding liquids, are no longer useful when the liquids stored therein is used up. The empty plastic bottles are usually discarded to cause environmental protection problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a container adapter, to which decorative accessories can be assembled to form ornaments on the bottle using the adapter, or different pipes can be connected for guiding a liquid from one container to another one, making the container more useful and is advantageous for environmental protection.

To achieve at least the above objective, the container adapter according to the present disclosure includes a soft sleeve and a rigid connecting pipe. The soft sleeve includes a first anti-slide sleeve portion and a second anti-slide sleeve portion. The first anti-slide sleeve portion is located at an end of the soft sleeve and is forward tapered; and the second anti-slide sleeve portion is located at another opposite end of the soft sleeve. The rigid connecting pipe includes a coupling portion, a stop portion and a plurality of slots. The slots is formed on an end of the rigid connecting pipe, the coupling portion is located at another opposite end of the rigid connecting pipe and is backward flared, and the stop portion is located adjacent to the coupling portion. The rigid connecting pipe is connected at the coupling portion to the first anti-slide sleeve portion with the stop portion abutted on a rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion.

In an embodiment of the container adapter, the second anti-slide sleeve portion is provided on an inner side with a first fitting zone and a second fitting zone.

In an embodiment of the container adapter, the first fitting zone is diametrically larger than the second fitting zone.

In an embodiment of the container adapter, the coupling portion of the rigid connecting pipe includes a plurality of anti-slide flanges for pressing against an inner side of the first anti-slide sleeve portion.

In an embodiment of the container adapter, the stop portion of the rigid connecting pipe is configured as an annular flange.

To use the container adapter of the present disclosure, simply connect the second anti-slide sleeve portion of the soft sleeve to an end of a container, such as a plastic bottle, and set decorative accessories in the slots of the rigid connecting pipe to form ornaments, or connect differently configured pipes to the plastic bottle to form a fluid passage for guiding out the liquid stored in the plastic bottle. In this manner, a container with the container adapter mounted thereon can be widely used in different applications and is advantageous for environmental protection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a container adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view showing a first example of application of the container adapter of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view showing a second example of application of the container adapter of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view showing a third example of application of the container adapter of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view showing a fourth example of application of the container adapter of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view showing a fifth example of application of the container adapter of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To facilitate understanding of the objects, characteristics and effects of this present disclosure, embodiments together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of the present disclosure are provided. It is noted the present disclosure can be implemented or applied in other embodiments, and many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and it is also understood that the preferred embodiments are only illustrative and not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 8 , in which a container adapter 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The container adapter 1 includes a soft sleeve 11 and a rigid connecting pipe 12.

The soft sleeve 11 includes a first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 and a second anti-slide sleeve portion 112. The first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 is located at an end of the soft sleeve 11 and is forward tapered, and the second anti-slide sleeve portion 121 is located at another opposite end of the soft sleeve 11.

The rigid connecting pipe 12 includes a coupling portion 121, a stop portion 122 and a plurality of slots 123. The slots 123 are formed on an end of the rigid connecting pipe 12, the coupling portion 121 is located at another opposite end of the rigid connecting pipe 12 and is backward flared, and the stop portion 122 is located adjacent to the coupling portion 121. The rigid connecting pipe 12 is connected at the coupling portion 121 to the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 with the stop portion 122 abutted on a rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111.

The container adapter 1 of the present disclosure can be applied to differently shaped containers. In the illustrated embodiment, a plastic bottle 2 is shown as the container. The container adapter 1 can be used on the plastic bottle 2 with a bottle cap 21 of the plastic bottle 2 covered on or removed from the plastic bottle 2. To use the container adapter 1, directly fit the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 of the soft sleeve 11 around a position on the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to the bottle cap 21 and a bottle-mouth flange 22, in the case the bottle cap 21 is covered on the plastic bottle 2 as shown in FIG. 4 , or around a position on the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to a bottle mouth 23 and the bottle-mouth flange 22, in the case the bottle cap 21 is removed from the plastic bottle 2 as shown in FIG. 5 . With the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 forcefully pressed against the bottle cap 21 and the bottle-mouth flange 22, or against the bottle mouth 23 and the bottle-mouth flange 22, the container adapter 1 is connected to the plastic bottle 2.

When the container adapter 1 is used when the bottle cap 21 is covered on the plastic bottle 2, various kinds of decorative accessories 3, such as snowflakes, geometrical-shaped sheets and dangling ornaments, can be set in the slots 123 according to personal preference. Therefore, the container adapter 1, the plastic bottle 2 and the decorative accessories 3 together form a variety of ornaments, as shown in FIG. 6 .

When the container adapter 1 is used when the bottle cap 21 is removed from the plastic bottle 2, a desired pipe 4, such as a rigid pipe, a bellows, a straight pipe, a bent pipe, a tee union, an L-shaped pipe, is directly fitted around a forward end of the rigid connecting pipe 12, such that an inner side of the pipe 4 covers the slots 123. With the pipe 4 connecting to the container adapter 1, the liquid stored in the plastic bottle 2 can be guided out of the plastic bottle 2 via the container adapter 1 and the pipe 4, as shown in FIG. 7 .

Alternatively, when the container adapter 1 is used when the bottle cap 21 is removed, a desired pipe 4, such as a rigid pipe, a bellows, a straight pipe, a bent pipe, a tee union, an L-shaped pipe, can be first fitted around the forward end of the rigid connecting pipe 12 for an inner side of the pipe 4 to cover the slots 123. Thereafter, other differently configured pipes 4 can be sequentially connected to one another according to personal preference to form a fluid passage. With the pipes 4 connected to the container adapter 1, the liquid stored in the plastic bottle 2 can be guided out of the plastic bottle 2 via the container adapter 1 and fluid passage formed by the pipes 4, as shown in FIG. 8 . In this manner, the plastic bottle 2 with the container adapter 1 and the pipes 4 can be used in a game or in teaching.

As described above, to use the container adapter 1 of the present disclosure, simply connect the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 of the soft sleeve 11 to an end of a container, such as a plastic bottle 2, and set decorative accessories 3 in the slots 123 of the rigid connecting pipe 12 to form ornaments, or connect differently configured pipes to the container adapter 1 to form a fluid passage for guiding out the liquid stored in the plastic bottle 2. In this manner, the plastic bottle 2 or other similar container with the container adapter 1 mounted thereon can be widely used in different applications and is advantageous for environmental protection.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 is provided on an inner side with a first fitting zone 1121 and a second fitting zone 1122. The first fitting zone 1121 is diametrically larger than the second fitting zone 1122. When the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 of the soft sleeve 11 of the container adapter 1 is fitted around the position of the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to the bottle cap 21 as shown in FIG. 4 , the second fitting zone 1122 and the first fitting zone 1121 forcefully press against positions of the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to the bottle cap 21 and the bottle-mouth flange 22, respectively. Alternatively, when the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 of the soft sleeve 11 of the container adapter 1 is fitted around the position of the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to the bottle mouth 23 as shown in FIG. 5 , the second fitting zone 1122 and the first fitting zone 1121 forcefully press against positions of the plastic bottle 2 corresponding to the bottle mouth 23, which includes a threaded area 231, and the bottle-mouth flange 22, respectively. With these arrangements, the container adapter 1 is connected to the plastic bottle 2 with the second anti-slide sleeve portion 112 tightly and stably fitted around the bottle cap 21 or the bottle mouth 23 of the plastic bottle 2, preventing the container adapter 1 from separating from the plastic bottle 2.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the coupling portion 121 of the rigid connecting pipe 12 includes a plurality of anti-slide flanges 1211 for pressing against an inner side of the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111. When the coupling portion 121 of the rigid connecting pipe 12 is coupled with the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 of the soft sleeve 11, the anti-slide flanges 1211 are pressed against the inner side of the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 while the stop portion 122 is abutted on the rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111. In this manner, the rigid connecting pipe 12 and the soft sleeve 11 can be firmly connected together without the risk of separating from one another.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the stop portion 122 can be an annular flange to abut on the rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion 111 in a fluid-tight manner. This further ensures the firm connection of the rigid connecting pipe 12 to the soft sleeve 11 and prevents them from separating from one another.

While the present disclosure has been described by means of a specific embodiment, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure set forth in the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A container adapter, comprising: a soft sleeve including a first anti-slide sleeve portion and a second anti-slide sleeve portion; the first anti-slide sleeve portion being located at an end of the soft sleeve and being forward tapered, and the second anti-slide sleeve portion being located at another opposite end of the soft sleeve; and a rigid connecting pipe including a coupling portion, a stop portion and a plurality of slots; the slots being formed on an end of the rigid connecting pipe, the coupling portion being located at another opposite end of the rigid connecting pipe and being backward flared, and the stop portion being located adjacent to the coupling portion; and the rigid connecting pipe being connected at the coupling portion to the first anti-slide sleeve portion of the soft sleeve with the stop portion abutted on a rim of the first anti-slide sleeve portion.
 2. The container adapter according to claim 1, wherein the second anti-slide sleeve portion is provided on an inner side with a first fitting zone and a second fitting zone.
 3. The container adapter according to claim 2, wherein the first fitting zone is diametrically larger than the second fitting zone.
 4. The container adapter according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion of the rigid connecting pipe includes a plurality of anti-slide flanges for pressing against an inner side of the first anti-slide sleeve portion.
 5. The container adapter according to claim 1, wherein the stop portion of the rigid connecting pipe is configured as an annular flange. 